Folding watchcase.



' H.fW. MATALENB.'

PULDING WATGHGASB.

APPLICATION FILED UNB 10, 1911.

1,020,770.v fatenteamanlalalz;

UNITED sirarns PATENTfoFFIoE.

HENRY W. MATALENE, OF NEW YORK, 'IN'. vYV.'

FOLDING WATCHCASE.

To all whom t may concern Beit known that l. HENRY lV. M vraLENE.

a citizen of the United States. 'residing at New. York. in the county of New York and State; of New York, have invented new and usefulV mprovements in Folding Watchcases, of which the following is a specification.

This invention rela-tes to portable vcases ofthe collapsible type which are used for the convenient transportation of watches in traveling and also serve when unfolded to support the watches in convenient position for observation. -The particular type of case referred to' comprises three leaves hinged one to another, end to end, one leaf being adapted to receive the watch and to be folded between the other two leaves, which Serve as covers `therefor during transportation,and in c ases of thistype. as commonly constructed heretofore, the end leaf which carries the watch has been hinged to the adjacent leaf at the top of the watch, so that it has been necessary to modify the construction of the watch itself by omitting the seconds-hand and locating the winding stem at the bottom of the watch, instead of at the top thereof`l in orderthat said stem might be accessible for manipulation.' l Y The principal object of my invention isto provide anl improved form4 of case of the general type above referred to which will receive a watch of theusual construction, that is, a watch having the winding stem in its usual position and also having a secondshand, without preventing 'or interfering with the convenient manipulation of the winding stem afterthe watch has been secured in position in the case, the features of construction and arrangement whereby this result is accomplished Abeing hereinafter set i forth.

A watch case embodying my'invention, Aas

preferably constructed, is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a sideelevation of thecase and' watchin open position; Fig. 2 is a front view of the same; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the case when nearly closed; Fig. 4 is a detail view, partly in section on the line in Fig. 5, showingthe crown at the outer end of the stem of the watch; Fig. 5 is a sectional detail illustrating the engagement of this crown by the locking catch of the case as hereinafter described; and Fig. 6 is another detail illustrating said catch.

. Specification of Letters Patent. Y Patented D131', 19, 1912,

Application led .Tune 10, 1911. l Serial-No. 632,313.

The three leaves of the watch case illustrated in the drawings are shown at 2, 3 and tween the leaves 2 and 3 as indicated in F ig'V 3. The. leaf 3 serves as a base for the case' I l to stand on when extended, as shown'in Fig. l, and .the leaf 4 is hinged at its lower edge to the front edge of said leaf 3, instead of being hinged at its upper edge to the leaf 2 as has been customary heretofore, so thatA the detachable engagement of the free edgesr of the end leaves is effected at the top Aofthe extended c ase instead of at the lowefront portion thereof. The leaf 4 is provided with the usual circular opening to receive the watch 5, and eXcept for the recess in' its crown, hereinafter described, this lwatch is of the usual construction, having the winding stem at its top.

lVhen the casev is set up to expose the watch, as shownin Fig. l, the leaves 2 and 4 are detachably connected at their upper edges to maintain the parts of the case in extended position, and this is' preferably accomplished by providing a recess 6 with under-cut side walls in the outer end of the crown 7 of the watch, which recess is adapt-- ed to receive the hook member 8 of -a spring catch by means of which the ease is locked in its closed position, said hook member being carried bythe leaf 2 and the complemental member 9 by the leaf 3. The engagement of these parts is illustrated in Fig. 5, in which said hook member 8 is shown as inserted in the recess 6 with the front wall of said recess resting upon the free end 4of the hook, and at this point said recessis narrower' than. elsewhere, as indicated in Fig. 4, so that its side walls overlap the laterally-extending ends l0-of the hook. (See Fig. 6.) As thus constructed, the case is set up inextended position by opening the leaves as shown in Fig. l, then dropping the hook 8 into the wide part of the recess 6, and then letting the leaf 4 fall backward slightly until said hook passes into the narrow portion of said recess 6, whereby the parts are held in extended position without danger of accidental,displacement, although they may be readily disengaged when desired by first moving theupper edge of the leaf 4 forward slightly and then lifting the hook 8 out of the recess 6, whereupon said lie n leaff may beV folded down' upon-the leaf 3 l Athe watch occupies 'watch havingits crown of the same, and with a .supplementary reth downV over It will be seen from the foregoing description' that the vcrown 7, by means of which the watch is wound and set, is located at the free edge of the termediate leaf'li,

where it is conveniently accessible for ma nipulat-ion, being preferablyl located in a Vrecess 11 formed in said free edge of the leaf 4, and therefore, since-the. crown .of its usual position at the top of the watch, itis not necessary to modify the construction of the watch used with my case, either by locating its winding stem-at the bot-tom of thevwatch or-by'oimtting'jttheseoonds-hand, as will be eviden` I'Clam aS my invention 'for watches compris! 1. A folding two leaves hinged togetherand forming:

covers for the case when closed, one of said leaves being adapted to serve asa supporting base when thev case is extended, an intermediate leaf hinged at' its lower edge to the fr0nt portion of leaf and provided with a' reeeS to reeeivea located at the top crown and e cess to receive said expose said intermediate leaf,

same on both sides of 'and means for detachably the of the other cover leaf with the f the intermediate leaf. i

2 A foldingY 'for watches comprising two cover leaves .sid leaves serving as a supporting base hinged together, one of Vwhen the case is extmded, van intermediate leaf hinged at itsllower edge to the front on of the base leaf, a watch secured to the intermediateleaf in position to face the top cover leaf when the case is folded, with the last-mentioned cover.

hinged edge of the intermediate leaf'and the crown ofthe watch located atits top and exposed for m y 'pulation on both sides ofsaid intermediate leaf, adjacent-to the free, edge of the latter, and`means for detachably connecting the free edges of the topv cover leaf -and the intermediate leaf.

twoV cover leaves hinged together at one edge,-;an intermediate leaf d at one `edge to the freeedge vof one'o theeover lleavesand adapted to be folded in between the latter, Y`a catch-V for holdingv the `cover leaves in closed position, and a' watch carried by' the intermediate leaf and having a vrecessed crown located at the -top o fwatch andV adaptedV to receive one member "of said Vcatch to hold the parts of the case in extended position. Y 14. A folding Y atelrcase two closed-Y`position, at one`edge t0 cover'leaves and catch to hold the same-in anintermediate leaf hinged the free edge of one of the adapted to be folded in bethe Ahook member In testimonyl subscribed my name this 6th day of June,

` Goun'mmn E. HASTINGS,

E ILA A, Tamm?.

f the.

hold the 'parts of the case in extended posi# Vtion. i Y

the bou-,0m of the watch adjacent 't5 the i tween the latter, and a watch carried by the lo with resg, sind 1390S having undgrllt walls adapted t0 'engage of Said sp1-ing catch t0' whereof, I' havehereunto 50 3.- `.A folding case for watches comprising 

